There is going to come a time when Alex Ovechkin retires and the Washington Capitals inevitably return to a level of mediocrity the franchise hasn’t seen since before The Great Eight was drafted No. 1 overall in 2004. But not this day, say new general manager Chris Patrick and president of hockey operations Brian MacLellan. Washington’s front office was one of the busiest in the league before and into free agent frenzy, and this team already looks miles better than the one that just squeaked into the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The moves Washington made over the last couple of weeks should immediately vault this team from playoff bubble to legitimate contender. That includes trades that brought Pierre-Luc Dubois, Andrew Mangiapane, Jakob Chychrun and Logan Thompson to the nation’s capital, as well as signing one of the league’s better defensive defensemen in former Los Angeles King Matt Roy.
After being swept by the New York Rangers in the first-round of the postseason, and with Ovechkin now 38-years-old, the obvious question that needed to be answered this summer was how they would stay in the thick of the playoff race. But the Capitals front office has made intelligent moves to keep this squad competitive over the next few years.
What happens after Ovechkin retires is a conversation for another day, but heading into the 2024-25 campaign, this looks like a team that can again make some noise in the postseason. Let’s talk about it.
Capitals made a flurry of excellent trades ahead of free agency
We’ll get to the free agent signings in a second, but no team in the NHL did better on the trade market than the Capitals in 2024. Enter Pierre-Luc Dubois, Andrew Mangiapane, Jakob Chychrun and Logan Thompson, four players who have proven themselves in the league and should impact this club positively next season.
Subtract Darcy Kuemper, whose contract was a hindrance after the excellent play of backup Charlie Lindgren last season, and Nick Jensen, who is a solid D-man but certainly not quite of Chychrun’s caliber. With those additions, the Caps have shored up the center position (Dubois), forward depth (Mangiapane), defense (Chychrun) and goaltending (Thompson).
Although Dubois had a ghastly year with the Kings after being traded from the Winnipeg Jets before last season — he scored just 16 goals and 40 points — both parties admitted that the 26-year-old probably wasn’t properly utilized in that system. Although his over $8 million cap hit over the next seven years does not look good, he’s been an effective player in the NHL for much longer than he’s struggled. Maybe another change of scenery is what this player needed, and there’s a strong chance Dubois rebounds in the nation’s capital.
Mangiapane is a great depth add; the 28-year-old is coming off of a 40-point season with the Calgary Flames and is just two years removed from a career-best 35-goal, 55-point campaign. All he cost was a second-round pick, and he will immediately make Washington better at both ends of the rink.
Chychrun is a bit of a wildcard after an up-and-down season with the Ottawa Senators, but he still tied his career-high of 41 points on a middling roster in 2023-24. He probably has a lot more to give at the NHL level, and an opportunity to play with (likely) future Hall of Famer John Carlson should motivate the 26-year-old to find another gear.
And Logan Thompson, who helped the Vegas Golden Knights win the Stanley Cup in 2023, is coming off a phenomenal year on the strip. He was always going to play second fiddle to Adin Hill, and he now has a great opportunity to battle Lindgren for the starting job. Both goaltenders will be ultra-motivated to be the go-to guy between the pipes, and that competition should bring out the best in both.
Without a doubt, the Capitals front office hit a home run with these acquisitions. All four make them a better team, and if Dubois can return to his early-career form, Patrick and MacLellan will look like geniuses. But the trade market isn’t the only place the Capitals got better this summer.
Matt Roy is a fantastic signing on the back end
Brandon Duhaime was signed to a two-year deal and will also shore up the offensive depth, while Connor McMichael earned a well-deserved raise after inking a two-year pact of his own. But it’s another Los Angeles King that will be turning the most heads in the nation’s capital.
Matt Roy, who has emerged into one of the more responsible defensive defensemen in the NHL, took his talents to Washington and signed a massive six-year, $34.5 million contract on July 1. The 29-year-old can certainly chip in offensively — he has three straight seasons with over 20 points — but his defensive side of the game will be even more coveted by the offensive-minded Capitals.
The team’s top-four now looks like Carlson, Chychrun, Roy and Rasmus Sandin, which is very much improved than the players being sent over the boards in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. And with familiar faces in Trevor van Riemsdyk and Martin Fehervary rounding out the blue line, this is a revamped group that should see dividends paying off in 2024-25 and beyond.
Capitals clearly want to win again in Alex Ovechkin era
And with that, the Capitals can pat themselves on the back for one of the best offseasons in the history of the franchise. In fact, Ovechkin even sent MacLellan a text — although it had no words — after the dust had settled.
“Just the thumbs-up emoji,” MacLellan said earlier in July.
The longtime executive added: “I think we realized where we were at last year. We knew we had to get better. We had to add. For Ovi, too. There was a lot of pressure on Ovi to produce last year because we lacked the depth in that area. So hopefully, he’s supported here more with a better overall team this year.”
Ovechkin absolutely deserves to be on a team competing for Stanley Cups until he retires — he is soon to be the undisputed greatest goal scorer in NHL history, on paper at least, if he isn’t already. Entering his 20th season and turning 39 in September, he may not be the superstar he once was, but The Great Eight still led the Caps with 31 goals last season.
If you couldn’t already tell, the Capitals get an easy ‘A’ in free agency, and it’s going to be very intriguing to see how well all of the new faces fit in next year. If the transition is seamless, this is a club that could make a deep playoff run in 2025.
FINAL GRADE: A
